Surprised that nobody here is mentioning the fact that a far greater percentage of our brothers and sisters around the world are eating meat/poultry than ever before. M/P are great to eat, but producing them requires around 10x the resources that veges/grain require (that is very rough, the real figure depends on a host of factors). The more people that eat like Westerners, the more global food prices will rise.

Fair point, guest, but the demand growth I'm pointing to is unprecedented. ~2 billion people in China and India alone. To match that we would need a new green revolution. This one would need to be even more successful than the last (which increased production 250%).

To make matters worse, our last green revolution was inefficient (see wikipedia quote below). So not only do we need to achieve an unprecedented increase in supply, but we need to simultaneously increase efficiency.

I do agree with (what I suspect) is your point, which is that supply will respond to increased prices by increasing production and productive efficiency, but, despite what I am sure will be a strong effort, it's a fair bet that food prices will continue to rise and many Westerners will modify their diet to compensate.

"While agricultural output increased as a result of the Green Revolution, the energy input to produce a crop has increased faster, so that the ratio of crops produced to energy input has decreased over time."

China's meat consumption has been increasing at a relatively stable, though quite rapid, rate over the last two decades. US consumption rose slightly over the same time span and then started to stagnate. Therefore, this sudden increase in prices can hardly be attributed to the higher consumption. It is most interesting to note that the price of turkey just started in rise at a steady rate as the recession, and therefore stimulus, began.

You're jumping the gun to blame one factor when thre are a lot of things in play. There are many reasons for the recent increase that do not directly relate to the stimulus.

1. Cost of feed is going up. Basic grains have seen the price increase because of the diversion of arable land into energy production.

2. Meat consumption is increasing in more countries than just China. Producers would be smart to shift production to other meats consumed in Asia. Turkey is not very high on that list.

3. Local regulations to prevent the spread of avian diseases require more land use per bird, resulting in lower efficiences.

4. Changes in American demand. Basic turkey producers have seen new competition from the heritage turkey variety. The heritage turkeys are more expensive to produce. Basic turkey producers can increase prices without losing market share.

What I would love to see is the variation of the price from around the country. The graph suggests that national average is ~1.60/lb. I live in South Louisiana and I only paid $0.57/lb. at a regional grocer chain. Also, is this ALL types of frozen turkeys (farm-raised, free-range, etc.) or just one specific type?

The other factor to take into account is almost all grocers will put turkeys on "sale" right before the holiday for about a week. Thus, assuming most shoppers are buying the food for the holiday meal during this time, the price that is actually being paid may be lower than what the monthly national average suggests.

The price of corn is way up and guess what foul are fed in the pens smart guy.If we abandoned the use of corn in fuel this would change for the better sooner than later but your pal in the white house has no intention of doing that so YA, Its very much his fault in every way.

"WASHINGTON--The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it is moving forward with a mandate for corn ethanol in gasoline, denying requests to waive the requirement following a drought that pushed up corn prices.

[...]

Cattle ranchers and dairy farmers, which use corn to feed cattle, have said for months that the ethanol mandate was driving up demand for dwindling supplies of corn.

"We are extremely frustrated and discouraged that EPA chose to ignore the clear economic argument from tens of thousands of family farmers and livestock and poultry producers," a coalition of agriculture groups said Friday.

Because of drought conditions in the Midwest, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts this year's corn crop will be the smallest in six years."

"Corn makes up 3 cents of every dollar spent on food at the grocery store. The rest comes from things like transportation, marketing, labor and packaging. Those Super Bowl commercials advertising for your favorite snack aren’t cheap. And paying for the petroleum to transport food inputs isn’t cheap either. Costs like those—costs that have nothing to do with the crops that go into your food—make up $.84 of each food dollar you spend at the market. As oil prices fluctuate, food prices follow because petroleum is a large input into food prices. Corn is not." (http://www.fuelsamerica.org/blog/entry/its-almost-thanksgiving.-so-lets-...)

"Fresno-based Zacky Farms, one of the largest turkey producers in the U.S., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming high feed prices for soaring losses in recent years.

[...]

In its bankruptcy petition, the company said it faced between $50 million and $100 million in debts. Court records indicate that among the largest creditors are companies that provide poultry feed for Zacky Farms.

[...]

In its bankruptcy resolution, Cooper said, Zacky "has recently faced an extremely difficult liquidity crisis caused in large measure by the price of feed for its birds" and has been unable to keep up with its debts. The company estimates that it is spending about $1.8 million a week to feed its approximately 2.5 million turkeys and chickens.

Over the past several years, the prices of corn and soybean meal have soared. In 2007, Cooper said, corn prices ranged from $2 to $3.75 per bushel. The current price is about $7.50 per bushel. Soybean meal, which averaged about $300 per ton in 2010 and 2011, now costs about $500 per ton, he added."